The Star

Pyrmont Growers Market has returned to Pyrmont Bay Park (Pirrama Road, Pyrmont NSW) every fourth Saturday of the month from 7:30am to 12:00pm and, on the first Saturday back (25 February 2017), media were taken on a tour of the market and spoiled afterwards with a four course meal made with ingredients from the stallholders at Black Bar and Grill at The Star.

Pyrmont Growers Market offers unique gourmet produce and top quality fresh food straight from the field and farm. For 18 years, Pyrmont Growers Markets was one of the most popular and well-attended markets in the city until it closed in April 2016 when Fairfax decided to no longer sponsor it. The likes of Pepe Saya and Toby’s Estate have made names for themselves selling their products here, and some of Australia’s most celebrated chefs have demonstrated on the market stage.

It is now produced and operated by the Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce and proudly supported by The Star. The markets offer a green, sustainable and relaxed community focused event.

The market stalls we visited as part of the tour included: Grima’s Farm Fresh Produce (third generation farmers who pick their fruit and vegetables fresh daily); Pepe Saya (producer of the best cultured butter made from local ingredients, including a new smoked cultured butter that we all tried); Luca Ciano sauces (a premium Italian sauces product range created by two Michelin star chef Luca Ciano); Badass Biscuit Co (badass cookies made by chef Katrina Igham); Long Paddock eggs (free range eggs from a Canberra region farm that has 185 hens per hectare, not 10,000); Alto Olives (who produce exceptional quality olive oil and olives including an award-winning olive oil with olives that are native to Australia); Achacha (a prized tropical fruit from Bolivia that is grown in Queensland); Westview Limes (the makers of award winning sauces from the Mid North Coast of NSW); Near River Produces (producers of pasture raised heritage pork and field grown vegetables); The Little Big Dairy Co (producers of high quality milk from one dairy traceable down to the very cow that made it); Riverina Jerky (makers of the best quality jerky that is full of flavour and texture); German Butchery (award winning German butcher making small goods and cheeses); Parker’s Organic juices (juices made with Australia fruit without chemical fertilisers and pesticides); and many others.

Black Bar and Grill, the fine dining restaurant at The Star, prepared a four course lunch using seasonal produce from the market stalls. The first course was zucchini flowers with crispy goat’s curd lemon oil. The entree was a garden salad made from heirloom carrots, peas, smoked ricotta, mint meringue, serrano ham and hazelnut vinaigrette. The main course was fillet grass fed with white polenta, crispy sweetbread, king brown mushrooms, pencil leeks, and black pepper sauce. The dessert was warm couverture ganache, hazelnut mousse, banana ice-cream, cookie crumble. There was also a seafood dish prepared for a pescetarian in the group.

Tawnya Bahr runs the tours on a market morning at Pyrmont Growers Market. She runs two behind the scenes tours, showcasing the growers and producers that make this iconic market so great. Tours run for approximately an hour at 7:30am and 9:00am. To book, go to: http://www.tawnyabahr.com/tour/pyrmont-growers-market/

For more information about the Pyrmont Growers Markets, go to: http://pyrmontgrowersmarket.com.au/http://pyrmontgrowersmarket.com.au/

The Pyrmont Growers Market is back at Pyrmont Bay Park and, to celebrate, a launch party was held on Wednesday 16 February 2016 at PizzAperta at The Star.

Pyrmont Growers Market is back at Pyrmont Bay Park (Pirrama Road, Pyrmont NSW) from 25 February 2016 and every fourth Saturday of every month from 7:30am to 12:00pm.

The Markets will once again offer unique gourmet produce and top quality fresh food straight from the field and farm.

Pyrmont Growers Market started as a single one-off event that was part of the 1998 Good Food Month but continued for 18 years and became one of the most popular and well-attended markets in the city. It closed in April 2016 when Fairfax decided to stop sponsoring it. The likes of Pepe Saya and Toby’s Estate have made names for themselves here, and some of Australia’s most celebrated chefs have demonstrated on the market stage (such as Rockpool’s Neil Perry, Marque’s Mark Best, Biota’s James Viles, and Victor Churchill’s Anthony Puharich).

It is now produced and operated by the Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce and proudly supported by The Star. The Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce engaged food consultant Tawnya Bahr from Straight to the Source to secure the finest local producers and farmers to be part of the markets. The markets will offer a green, sustainable and relaxed community focused event.

The food at the launch party was made from ingredients sourced from the new stallholders at Pyrmont Growers Market. Guests were served two types of pizzas: ham and mushroom pizza made with Pino Dolce Vita smoked ham, mushrooms, San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella; and vegetarian pizza made from eggplant, olives, pumpkin, zucchini, cherry tomato, basil and crescenza cheese. They were also served an Australian ocean trout roll with zucchini, leek, pumpkin puree and crescenza cheese. The roll is not a regular menu item at PizzaPerta but it was a standout dish that they should consider adding.

PizzaPerta is an open-air piazza style Italian Pizzeria and Bar operated by Stefano Manfredi (who was also present on the night). It serves pizzas, focaccias, salads, sides and desserts. His head chef, Gianluca Donzella, managed the kitchen and told me that they also make gluten free pizza that is popular with people with celiac disease.